[Editor's note: A version of this post originally appeared on our blogspot site in 2007. The MP3 links have been updated.]
Remember when Death Cab was great? And when indie rockers playing ironic covers was actually ironic and not ironically ironic? Man. Those were the days. This show has my favorite version of “I Was a Kaleidoscope” (not to mention Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated”). Read the rest of this entry »
James Mercer, with Broken Bells in 2010. Photo by David Greenwald
In 2004, Garden State had just changed the Shins’ lives and the band had yet to take three years off to release an — I’ll say it — disappointing follow-up to Chutes Too Narrow. It must’ve been a heady time for frontman James Mercer, who’s uncharacteristically charismatic and frontman-y at this October 2004 solo show. (And does a killer early version of “Girl Sailor.”) For solo acoustic takes on the essential Shins catalog, the buck stops here. Read the rest of this entry »
The Radio Dept.’s recent KEXP session captures the band behind 2010′s best album of the year in stripped-down, semi-acoustic mode — the immaculate cocoon of sound that surrounds the Swedish act on record is pulled away, leaving these songs feeling naked and emotionally charged. Let “Heaven’s on Fire” break your heart a bit.
1. Bus: mp3
2. Heaven’s On Fire: mp3
3. Sleeping In: mp3
4. The New Improved Hypocrisy: mp3
The band plays the El Rey on Feb. 16.
Related: The Radio Dept. | Bootlegs Archive
(Via the Radio Dept.)
ARMS previewed its upcoming album Summer Skills with a handful of new songs along with some ’10 classics at the Brooklyn Bowl a couple weeks back. All sound as good as anything we’ve heard from Todd Goldstein’s band; a few more shows like this one and the Walkmen will be opening for them. (A boy can dream.) Here’s a zip of the show and a look at the new tracks — thanks to NYC Taper for the recording. Conveniently, the band just debuted another new one and will be next week’s Rawkblog Live guests. Swag!
Update: Tracks removed at the behest of NYC Taper, who apparently missed the “sharing” portion of first grade. Get ‘em on his site.
(ARMS at SXSW 2010, photo by David Greenwald)
More: Bootlegs Archive
Last week, Ryan Adams launched a new website, Pax America Records, made his sci-fi metal album Orion available in non-limited edition and announced the details of the double-LP sequel to Cold Roses, III/IV. We’re still waiting on the multiple new sessions he’s been doing this year, a release date for Black Hole and perhaps tour dates (!), but it is, as always, a great time to be an Adams fan. The III/IV tracklist and some early live/unreleased versions of the new songs after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Photo via Four Paws Media
Say what you will about Tupac. As a fan of Elliott Smith, any release that brings the late songwriter’s music to new listeners is an essential one. However, the new An Introduction To… Elliott Smith falls a little short of its intended goal, drawing mostly on Either/Or and, presumably due to funds and label issues, misses some important sections of his career. I’ve attempted to remedy that right here with A Proper Introduction.
This compilation is, like Kill Rock Stars’, an introduction: Elliott’s entire catalog, from his three albums with Heatmiser to his seven solo releases to his extensive b-sides collection to his 50+ live and studio covers to his albums’ worth of unreleased songs, is composed entirely of completely fucking great music and you should track it all down. (As you can tell by the previous links, I’ve done my best to curate some of what’s out there on this blog already.) This compilation skews on the legal side, so you’ll see live and unreleased versions subbed in for a number of album cuts. You can fit it on a single CD or listen to it half-and-half on your daily commute. Then go buy his albums. That is the best possible musical decision you will make this or any year. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the absolute best shows I saw at SXSW this year was Todd Goldstein’s ARMS, the then-three-piece playing frostily beautiful versions of songs from EP and their upcoming album as the Austin cold threatened to freeze their fingers off. Stripped of the EP’s reverb, the songs were naked and lovely and limited to that afternoon — until now. The band’s Daytrotter session was recorded earlier that week, and it captures a sliver of that afternoon, a Polaroid on expired film. It is raw like Kanye West’s Twitter feed and pretty like Mandy Moore.
ARMS – “Emily Sue Pt. 2″ (Daytrotter Session): mp3
(Get the full session on Daytrotter)
Previously: SXSW 2010: ARMS at Kung Fu Saloon, 3.20.10
Many-genred folk-rockers Calexico have just released a free, 320kpbs bootleg of a recent concert to celebrate their latest tour. Get it, and the dates, on their site. They’ll be in L.A. (at the Hollywood Bowl!) on September 19. (Photo via Wikipedia)
